And, finally, companies that sell direct are becoming more sophisticated selling against programmatic, as well as co-opting programmatic for their own benefit.

4. Meredith rises.

Industry pundits are quick to fret about the negative impact of disintermediation on traditional media businesses. But disintermediation doesn’t actually favor the new vs. the old.

Des Moines-based Meredith Corporation is a wonderful example of this. In the past 10 years, they have been careful buyers, scooping up assets from Gruner + Jahr, Disney, Martha Stewart, Selectable Media, AllRecipes.com, and now Time Inc.

They’ve also had big success launching new brands, such as their mega-hit, Magnolia Journal, in 2017. The result is a company that will have approaching $5B in annual revenue.

The stock has gone up 6X in the past 10 years. Meredith is clearly a recognized leader in the new media hegemony.

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As we look ahead, expect vertical video, brand safety and consolidation — as well as the growth of Meredith Corporation — to be top-of-mind among advertisers in 2018. Closely following any developments in these areas will be crucial to their success next year, and beyond.

Interested in staying on top of these trends? Check out the rest of MediaRadar’s blog here.